Braking device for web handling apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

' [aa/5 /M PcEME/vr A 7' TUR/VE Y July 17, 1951 l... M. ARCEMENT BRAKING DEVICE FOR WEB HANDLING APPARATUS Filed March 18, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. au/5 /if/ //zcf/msw 7:

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ATTORNEY Patented July 17, 1951 BRAKING DEVICE FOR WEB HANDLING APPARATUS Louis M. Arcement, New Orleans, La., assigner to The Patent and Licensing Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 18, 1948, Serial No. 15,715

Claims. (Cl. 271-22) This invention relates to a braking device for a web festooning apparatus or looper. Although not confined thereto, the invention is concerned particularly with a braking device for a floating looper of the type used to maintain a continuous supply of felt to the saturating unit of a roofing machine.

In operations involving the treatment of materials in web form, such as, for example, in the manufacture of bitumen-saturated roof coverings, a web of iibrous felt is generally supplied to the saturator unit of the rcoiiing machine from a large supply roll. When the supply roll becomes exhausted, a new roll is placed in position and the leading end of the web from the new roll is secured to, or spliced, to the trailing end of the web from the exhausted roll. In order to insure a continuous supply of felt to the saturator at all times and particularly during the splicing operation, when the forward movement of felt from the supply roll is temporarily halted, a looper is interposed lbetween the supply roll and the saturator. Loopers of the floating type, with which the invention is primarily concerned, comprise two sets of rollers lying in parallel horizontal planes. The rollers in one set are generally held in stationary mountings and the rollers in the second set are mounted upon a vertically movable floating frame. The web is threaded through the looper in such a manner that it passes alternately over each of the upper and lower rollers, and when the movable set of rollers is at its maximum distance from the stationary set, a substantial quantity Yof the felt web is festooned in the looper. When movement of the web into the looper is stopped for the splicing operation, the floating frame gradually approaches the stationary set of rollers thereby decreasing the length of each festocn and permitting a continuous feeding of the web to the saturator. When the splice has been made, the feeding of the web into the looper is resumed and the floating frame is gradually drawn away from the stationarily-mounted rollers and returned to its original position. In loopers of this type, each roller is freely mounted and rotates in response to the forward movement of the web as it is drawn through the looper. When the web travels at a relatively high velocity, as is commonly the case, for example, in roofing machines, the inertia in the rollers is so great that, when the forward movement of the web outside the looper is interrupted, as when a break inthe web occurs or when the movement of the web through the saturator is slowed or stopped, the rollers continue to revolve and the web accumulates in a mass on the floor of the looper. The web may thus be damaged and considerable time and effort is required to return it to its proper position in the looper. This is obviously a serious disadvantage in the operation of floating loopers.

It is an object of this invention to overcome this disadvantage by providing a braking device for a floating looper which will 'automatically check the forward movement of the Web in the looper when the progress of the portion of the web which has passed beyond the looper is interrupted.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a braking device of the character indicated which will automatically adjust the speed of the web passing through the looper to the speed of the web outside the looper.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which is to iollow and from the drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a 2:5 floating looper arranged for use with a web saturating machine shown fragmentarily;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental View of the lower portion of the looper shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the looper showing the driving mechanism for the floating frame;

Fig. 4 is a fragmental view of the upper portion of the looper;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section along the line 5--5 of Fig. 6, showing the manner in which the tension rolls are mounted;

Fig. 6 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation along the line of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a View along the line 'l-l in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I0 designates generally a iioating looper having a supporting frame comprising hollow columns il and horizontal bracing strips l2. The looper l0 is illustrative of a type of floating looper for which the braking device of the invention is particularly suitable. It will be obvious, however, that the invention is not limited to this particular looper structure.

A series of spaced idle rollers l5. are horizontally mounted in fixed position across the lower portion of the looper, each end of the rollers l5 being journaled in a bearing I6. The bearings IG shown in Fig. 2 are mounted upon a stationary horizontal beam I8 and the bearings (not shown) supporting the opposite ends of the rollers l5 are similarly mounted. A second set of idle rollers 2li is journaled in bearings 2I which are mounted upon a floating frame 23.

Frame 23 is supported by chains 25 which are secured to the sides of frame 23 and extend upwardly therefrom, passing over sprocket wheels 26 and then downwardly into columns II, a counterweight'ZS being attached vtothe-end of each chain depending in the Vcolumns I I. The sprocket wheels 25, positioned above each of the columns II, are mounted on two parallel shafts 363 which are supported in bearings 3l along the top of the looper I il. Bevel gears'35 a're mounted on shafts 20 centrally thereof and mesh with bevel gears 36 secured at each vendcf ashaft A38, extending between the shafts 35.

The shaft 3B may be driven by arnotor "4G mounted on a platform all, power Ibeing transmitted from motor 45 through endless chain 'd2 which passes over a sprocket wheel 43. Sprocket wheel 43 is freely mounted on shaft 38 and is secured to a friction clutch-llt in such a manner that when clutch if! is engaged, shaft `33 is mechanically connected with motor 43. A hydraulic stabilizer 65, which prevents too rapid rotation of shaft 38, is mounted on platform di and is mechanically connected to shaft 3B by chain 45 which passes over a sprocket wheel all mounted onthe shaft 38.

A relatively constant tension is maintained on the web as it leaves the looper by a pair of vertically-movable horizontal tension rolls ltd and 43, the ends of which are mounted in vertical frames 52 and 53, respectively, as shown in Fig. 1. Referring particularly to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6,

one end of tension roll :i8 is provided with a spur f* gear 55 mounted on the stub shaft 56 of roll G8, between guide flanges 5l and 58. The spur gear 55 engages a vertical rack 59 provided in one side of frame 52. A limit stop tI positioned on the side of frame 52`near the top of rack 59 prevents roll 48 from overriding'rack 59. One end of tension roll 43 also has a stub shaft fill upon which is mounted a spur gear 52 engaging the rack 63 in frame 53. The ends of the tension rolls 48 and 9 not-shown are also provided with spur gears and the ends of frames and 53 not shown have appropriate racks which engage these spur gears as described in connection with spur gears 55 and 5I. The gear and rack arrangement described maintains the tension rolls 48 and 4Q horizontally disposed atall times, while at the same time permitting free-Vertical movement, whereby jamming of the rolls due to uneven lateral tension on the web is prevented. A pair of horizontal idler rolls 5t and '55 are journaled in bearings S6 and 5l, respectively, mounted on a frame 5B positioned above frames 52 and 53.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, a web I is supplied to the looper Iii from a supply roll ll, the web 'l0 passing over a guide roll llfmounted adjacent a splicing anvil 13, and a guide roll 'I4 mounted in a bracket l secured to the frame of the looper IU. A clamp roll ll, having a lever arm 18, is eccentrically mounted in bracket l5 in such manner that it can be pressed against a plate 19 to hold web lil therebetween when it is desired to stop the web, as when a splice is to be made. The web is threaded through the looper by being passed alternately over idle rollers I5 and 2G, then alternately over tension rolls d8 and 49 and idler rolls 64 and 55. 'After leaving the tension rolls, the web enters the :forward part oi the -saturating unit SU where it passes over a series of upper rolls-22 and lower rolls 84 while the web is subjected to sprays of molten asphalt before being passed into the saturator bath (not shown) in the usual manner. The tension rolls 48 and 49 are supported in an elevated position by the web 'I0 and when the tension on the Web- 'H3 slackens, the rolls move downwardly in frames 52 -and'53- The brake mechanism of the invention comprises a brake-actuating lever 85 and, secured thereto, a braking member which, in the embodiment illustrated, is a brake band B6 adapted friction'ally to engage idle rollers I5 to retard 'the'rotation thereof. The lever B5 is mounted in a' pivot bearing 88 and comprises an upwardlya extending irl-shaped portion 89 to which one end 'of Vthe brake band 86 is attached and an arm portion S5 which extends somewhat obliquely beneath tension rolls L8 and 59. The arm 95 isso positioned that it will be pressed downwardly by the stub shafts 5t and 5S when the tension rolls descend to the lower portion 4of frames 52 and 53.

A spring 922 suspended from a bar S3 is secured to arm portion et and exerts a'n upward pull thereon, thereby maintaining the brake band 35 vout of operative engagement with idle rollers l5 when the tension rolls are in elevatedposition. The other end of the brake band 86 is iirmly held in a take-up device which, in the embodiment shown, comprises Va vertical threadn ed member 95, which extends through a suitable opening in the band 83, and an adjustabie nut @il which may be raised or lowered onmember to maintain proper braking action by slackening or tightening the brake'ban'd SG. A helical spring Si is positioned on threaded member between bandlifi and nut 33. In order to make the 'eiective in adjusting the tension on the band 85, the band ispassed fover a support platei'st lmounted on la'pivot'iii Aacljacent the member 95.

As will be observed in Fig. 1, thebrake band 86 is threaded across the lends of therollers I5, passing over and under adjacent rollers ateither end of the looper and passing under the centrally positioned rollers. The particular arrangement of the brake bandwith respect to the rollers may, of course, be varied to t the particular requirements of the looper'with which the brake isused. As will `be apparent from Fig. 7, the brake band 3E is relatively narrow in comparison with the length of the rollers I5 in order that it may engage the surfaces of the 'rollers l5 near the-ends thereof without interfering with the movement of tl:n web lo over the main `portion of the rollers. For example, a brake band 2 inches wide is used with rollersd inches Ywide over which a web ci felt '7 2 inches wide is passed. The brakerband 23s may be formed of leather, canvas,frubber, or other suitable/material.

When the looper is in operation, Vthe frame 23 is maintained in an elevated position at the maximum distance from the rollers I5. `When the supply roll 7l becomes exhausted, the clamp roll 'I'I is pressed against plate 'i9 therebyclamping the web l0 and stopping its movement into the looper. At the same time, the clutch 44 is disengaged, which releases the shaft 38-fromfme chanical connection with rmotor 45 and frees frame 23, leaving it supported only by the counterweights 28. As the tension on the web "I0 increases as it is pulled from the looper, the frame 23 is pulled downwardly. Meanwhile, vthe leading end of the feltfrom the new roll is 75 spliced to the endof the felt-from the exhausted roll. The clamp roll l1 is then drawn back and the movement of felt into the looper resumed. The clutch 44 is engaged and the motor 40 started, which by turning shafts 20 and 38 gradually raises the floating frame 23 until it has reached its elevated position, whereupon motor 40 is stopped. During the normal operation of the roong machine, the tension rolls 48 and 49 are held by the web in the upper portion of frames 52 and 53, respectively, as shown in solid lines in Fig. 1,

When, however, the forward movement of the web 'l0 is interrupted, as when the web breaks in the saturator or elsewhere along its path, or when the driven rolls (not shown) which pull the web are stopped, the web 'l0 continues to be supplied from the rollers in the looper thereby allowing the tension rolls 48 and 49 to move downwardly in frames 52 and 53. As the tension rolls approach the bottom of the frames, the shafts 56 and 66 press upon arm 90, moving it downwardly and actuating the brake band 88 to retard the rotation of rollers l5, thus retarding or stopping further movement of the web. When the ybreak is mended and the web set in motion again, the tension rolls 48 and 49 are raised by the web l and the brake band 86 slackened, permitting the rollers l5 to rotate.

The braking device of the invention is equally effective in retarding the movement of the web in the looper when the movement of the web in the saturating unit is slowed, as often occurs. As the web is fed from the rollers in the looper at a greater rate than required, the tension rolls 48 and 49 move downwardly and the brake band 86 is actuated in the manner described above. The braking action of band 86 slows the rollers I5 and thereby the movement of web 10. When the web in the looper has been slowed to the desired degree, i. e., to the speed of the web in the saturator, the tension on the web increases and tension rolls 48 and 49 are raised, thereby automatically releasing the brake and permitting the web in the looper to move freely.

Thus, the speed of the web passing through the looper is automatically adjusted to the speed of the web outside the looper. Whenever the speed of the web in the looper exceeds the speed of the web outside the looper, the tension rolls 48, 49 fall and depress lever arm 98 thereby actuating the brake. When, after the brake has been applied, the speed of the web outside the looper becomes greater than the speed of the web in the looper, the web raises the tension rolls 48 and 49 and the brake band 86 is automatically slackened allowing the rollers l5 to rotate freely.

While the braking device of the invention has been described in connection with a looper having a pair of tension rolls, it will be apparent that it is equally applicable to loopers having a single tension roll.

It will also be obvious that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as dened by the appended claims, and it is, therefore, intended that the drawings and the foregoing description shall be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A brake mechanism for a floating looper including a plurality of idle rollers and at least one tension roll, said brake mechanism comprising a braking member positioned to frictionally engage simultaneously the surface of at least several of said idle rollers to retard the rotation thereof, and a braking-member actuating element disposed beneath said tension roll and engageable thereby to actuate said braking member, whereby said brake is actuated upon downward movement of said tension roll into engagement with said braking-member actuating element.

2. A brake mechanism for a floating looper including a plurality of idle rollers and at least one tension roll, said brake mechanism comprising a braking member positioned to frictionally engage simultaneously a portion of the surface of at least several of said idle rollers to retard the rotation thereof, said braking member being positioned to be moved in and out of frictional engagement with the surface of the idle rollers, a braking-member actuating element disposed beneath said tension roll and engageable thereby to actuate said braking member, whereby said braking member is urged into frictional engagement with said idle rollers upon downward movement of said tension roll into engagement with said braking-member actuating element.

3. A brake mechanism for a floating looper including a plurality of idle rollers and at least one tension roll, said brake mechanism comprising a brake band positioned to engage simultaneously a portion of the surface of at least several of said idle rollers to retard the rotation thereof, and a lever secured to the said brake band at one end thereof, said lever being positioned beneath said tension roll.

4. In a looper including a plurality of stationarily-mounted idle rollers and at least one vertically-movable tension roll normally supported in elevated position by the web passing through the looper, a brake band positioned to frictionally engage a portion of the surface of at least several of said idle rollers, and a brake-actuating lever secured to said brake band at one end thereof, said lever being positioned beneath said tension roll and being secured in a pivot mounting whereby downward movement of the lever tightens the brake band.

5. In a looper including a, plurality of stationarily-mounted idle rollers and at least one vertically-movable tension roll normally supported in elevated position by the web passing through the looper, a brake band positioned to frictionally engage a portion of the surface of at least several of said idle rollers, and a brake-actuating lever secured to sid brake band at one end thereof, said lever being secured in a pivot mounting whereby downward movement of the lever tightens the brake band, and said lever being positioned below said tension roll in such manner that it will be engaged and pressed downwardly when the tension roll is lowered.

LOUIS M. ARCEMENT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle gf this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 554,587 Evans Feb. 11, 1896 1,544,931 Patterson July 7, 1925 1,636,954 Garbutt July 26, 1927 1,763,594 Nelson June 10, 1930 2,115,737 Menschner May 3, 1938 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,561,165 July 17, 1951 LOUIS M. ARCEMENT It is hereby certed that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 6, line 54, for sid read said and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Ooe. Signed and sealed this 18th day of September, A. D. 1951.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

